Submachine guns
A submachine gun is a firearm which combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the ammunition of a pistol, and is between the two
in weight and size. They were developed at the end of WWI as a consequence of
trench warfare, rose to prominence as a front-line and commando weapon during WWII, and are
now widely used by police and paramilitary organisations. They are ideal for close-range combat in enclosed, urban environments,
where a weapon's range and accuracy is less important than the ability to easily and instinctively spray a target with bullets.
Conversely, submachine guns lack long-range power and accuracy, limiting their use in the open.
History
The submachine gun appeared during the latter stages of WWI, a product of
trench warfare. By 1918 fighting in the trenches had become a clumsy
and brutal art, involving grenades, pistols, sharpened entrenching tools and bayonets; the German army in particular recognised
the need for a short, close-quarters firearm which could produce a large volume of fire. Initially, the standard-issue Luger
pistols were equipped with large-capacity magazines, but by 1918 Bergmann had developed the MP18, the world's first submachine gun, or 'machine pistol' as it was known. The MP18 was used in a large numbers by
the stormtroopers which were so effective in the final year of the war,
although they were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November of that year.
In the inter-war years the submachine gun became notorious as a gangster weapon; the iconic image of zoot-suited James Cagney types wielding drum-magazine Thompson SMGs caused military planners to shun the weapon. During the rush to re-arm in the
late 1930s, however, old prejudices died, and submachine guns became a vital part of many nations' armouries, most notably
Germany again. The MP38 and MP40 were the first truly
mass-produced, industrial firearms, stamped from metal and manufactured by
factory workers rather than craftsmen. Britain followed suit with the Lanchester submachine gun and Sten gun, whilst the armies
of America and its allies also made use of simplified versions of the Thompson. By the end of WW2, Russia had fielded the
largest number of submachine gun types, entire infantry batallions being armed with little else. Even in the hands of conscripted
soldiers just out of basic training, the sheer volume of fire produced by massed SMGs was overwhelming.
In 1943 Germany introduced the MP43 (later the
MP44 'Sturmgewehr', or 'assault rifle'), a weapon which, in terms of size, power and accuracy sat mid-way
between the SMG and the full-sized rifle. The concept was a sound one, and the subsequent proliferation of assault rifles, most
famously the AK-47, has seen the submachine gun fade from mainstream military use.
Modern
Following World War II, the role of submachine guns was greatly diminished with the introduction of modern compact assault
rifles, such as the CAR-15 and Heckler und Koch HK53.
Submachine guns are still used by special forces, air crews, armored vehicle crews, counter-terrorist units, and Naval personnel.
Submachine guns lend themselves to moderation with suppressors, particularly
so in cases where the weapon is loaded with subsonic ammunition. The Sten, De Lisle carbine and modern-day Heckler und Koch MP5 have all been
manufactured with quiet, integral silencers, and such weapons are favourites of special forces and police units.
Prominent recent examples of the submachine gun Israeli Military Industries Uzi
submachine gun, the Heckler und Koch MP5 series, the Ingram MAC-10, the
Skorpion, the Sterling and the FN P90 (itself part
of a new generation of 'personal defence weapons', firing cartridges intermediate in power between a pistol and assault rifle
round). A small number of pistols have been available in fully-automatic or burst-fire variants, such as the Glock 18, the Stechkin, the Beretta
93R and the Heckler und Koch VP70.
Legality
In the United States of America, submachine guns have been categorized
as NFA weapons (also known as Title II weapons), so being
because they are regulated under the National Firearms
Act of 1934 and as amended by Title II of the Gun Control Act of 1968. NFA firearms can be legally owned if state and local law permits it, all the proper paperwork is submitted and approved, and a one time tax of $200 is paid. Certain submachine guns have also been available in specially-modified
semi-automatic form, with non-removable 16" barrels and receivers modified so as to prevent conversion into a fully-automatic
firearm; in this case, the submachine guns are treated as rifles, and are not subject to further regulations beyond those
required for ownership of a rifle.
In Europe, Switzerland allows
the private ownership of semi-automatic submachine guns as sporting firearms. Fully automatic submachine guns may only be owned
by collectors and may not be fired in fully automatic mode.
Compare machine pistol, carbine.
Famous Submachine Guns
See also
-This article has been brought to you by BambooWeb and Wikipedia-
